[UPDATE] KJV Remix: The Bible and 19th-Century British Literature (9/30)

The English Department at The Ohio State University will host an international conference in 2011 on the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James (or Authorized) Version of the Bible. Held in Columbus, Ohio from May 5-7, 2011, the conference will focus on the making of the KJV in the context of Reformation Bible translation and printing as well as on the KJV's long literary and cultural influence from Milton and Bunyan to Faulkner, Woolf, and Toni Morrison. Events will include plenary lectures and discussions, roundtable seminars, an exhibit by the OSU Rare Books and Manuscript Library, and a special reading and Q&A session with Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Edward P. Jones (Lost in the City; The Known World; All Aunt Hagar's Children). Submission deadlines have been extended, so don't miss the chance to participate in this exciting event! Please refer to http://kingjamesbible.osu.edu for further conference info, and contact kjvconference@osu.edu with any questions.

We are currently seeking participants for a roundtable seminar entitled "KJV Remix: The Bible and 19th Century British Literature." Each participant will submit a 1-2 page position paper in advance of the conference; seminar leaders (Dr. Les Tannenbaum and Dr. Clare Simmons, Ohio State University) will then read all the papers, formulate discussion questions, and circulate the papers and questions to participants. Drs. Simmons and Tannenbaum will determine more precise schedules and seminar requirements, once enrollments have been reviewed and approved.

The broad focus of this seminar will be on the simultaneous decline in this period in the King James Bible's status as Scripture and the establishment of its authority as a literary work. To what extent and in what ways does the KJV become more admired for its style than its accuracy or even theology? Papers will focus on distributed excerpts from authors including William Blake and John Ruskin. Please submit questions or project titles & statements of interest to kjvconference@osu.edu by September 30, 2010. Thank you for your interest!